Digital Account Opening
Union Bank partnered with projekt202 to learn more about the Digital Account Opening (DAO) experience for new users and improve the experience.
My contributions: Lead the UX Research, wireframes, and visual design direction. Oversaw two designers and worked in a cross-functional team.
DAO Product Vision
User Experience
Reduce the friction of the account opening time and enhance the DAO experience for new users.
User Interface
Improve the UI by creating a modern, clean design that aligns with the re-branded public site.
Research
Improve the overall experience by using data and user research to inform design decisions.
Tech
Build a componentized application that can be built upon, scaled, and leveraged for future digital experiences.
Research & Insights
Mixed-Methods UX Research
To better understand friction points within the Digital Account Opening (DAO) experience, the team leveraged a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods to evaluate user behaviors, benchmark industry standards, and inform future design decisions.
Competitive & Comparative Analysis
A competitive analysis was conducted across financial institutions to evaluate industry trends, onboarding strategies, security messaging, and digital account-opening workflows. This research helped benchmark the existing DAO experience against market expectations and identify opportunities for differentiation and modernization.
Evaluative Research & Friction Analysis
We assessed both the legacy and current DAO experiences to identify usability issues, workflow inefficiencies, and points of user hesitation throughout the account-opening journey. Findings revealed friction around perceived security, information hierarchy, and the sequencing of required inputs within the application flow.
Information Architecture & Workflow Optimization
To reduce cognitive load and streamline the account-opening process, we restructured the application flow and reorganized the content hierarchy based on research findings and user expectations. Simplifying the experience enabled us to reduce the number of screens, improve task flow, and shorten overall account-opening time.
User mapping activities further helped define business, technical, and compliance considerations while aligning user needs with operational requirements. These insights informed user stories and functional requirements that guided the UX solution..
Usability Testing & Validation
Early-stage usability testing was conducted using interactive wireframes and InVision prototypes across desktop and mobile experiences. Testing included 9 participants representing three primary personas to better understand behavioral patterns, usability concerns, and cross-device interactions.
The study combined qualitative feedback and quantitative observations to:
Identify usability and interface issues.
Measure task flow effectiveness.
Evaluate user confidence and satisfaction
Validate navigation and interaction patterns prior to development
This iterative validation process enabled the team to make informed, low-impact design refinements early in the product lifecycle.
Final UXUI
Project Summary
The Challenges
Restructuring of the personal information section occurred due to Technical pivots with backend technology that informed some extra fields needed in the flow.
Governance process with the design system that delayed some of the recommended UI changes.
The Wins
The DAO product vision was met and exceeded expectations.
Union Bank extended the pilot engagement and signed a new $100MM+ BOT engagement.
I became the client’s trusted advisor on the UX team.